JOHNNY RICHARDS — Mosaic Select 17: Johnny Richards (review)

JOHNNY RICHARDS — Mosaic Select 17: Johnny Richards album cover Boxset / Compilation · 2005 · Progressive Big Band Buy this album from MMA partners
5/5 ·
darkprinceofjazz
For me, this is one of the best Mosaic releases of all time, Johnny Richards CD's are hard to come by, and many of these sessions on Mosaic Select 17 have never been on CD, and may never be released individually. All of Richards classics are covered here on the 3 CD set, Annotations of the Muses, Wide Range, Experiments in Sound, The Rights of Diablo, Aqui Se Habla and My Fair Lady.

Richards has always been a forgotten band leader, his Contemporaries like Bill Holman, Shorty Rogers, Gil Evans and Gerry Mulligan have always been better known, and The albums he arranged for Stan Kenton have always outshined his own releases, Kenton's Cuban Fire, West Side Story, Adventures in Time and Back to Balboa are Progressive Modern Big Band classics the Richards arranged, But after investigating this Mosaic set, it is apparent Richards should be better known for his own albums.

Rites of Diablo from disc 2, Is one of the Most thrilling Modern Big Band sessions I have ever heard, very unusual and progressive for the time, if not in this current time, the music is based on an African Bantu Tribe's "Purging of Sin" religious ceremony, 7 drums and an 8 voice chorus augment the big band, At times the music is as raucous as Some of Art Blakey's best Blue Notes, Rights of Diablo has a somewhat exotic vibe throughout, I love it.

This entire set is packed with poly rhythms and world music influences not usually melded with big band jazz, the music is way ahead of its time in the mid 50's, any one who runs across any of these albums in the Vinyl Format, should nab them up quick, even though the sound is very good on this reissue, Nothing beats the original vinyl issues of Wide Range and Experiments in Sound, Right's of Diablo also has special value for it's original exotic cover art, one of best from the time period.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

The Eternal Fusion
BILLY MOHLER
Buy this album from MMA partners
Lettuce with the Colorado Symphony Fusion
LETTUCE
Buy this album from MMA partners
When Shadows Dance Post-Fusion Contemporary
EYOLF DALE
Buy this album from MMA partners
Joe Alterman feat. Houston Person : Brisket for Breakfast Hard Bop
JOE ALTERMAN
Buy this album from MMA partners
Duduka Da Fonseca Trio : Rio Fantasia Latin Jazz
DUDUKA DA FONSECA
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

When shadows dance
EYOLF DALE
js· 7 hours ago
Jazz Detectives
FRODE KJEKSTAD
js· 1 day ago
Khruangbin - A LA SALA (Full Album)
KHRUANGBIN
js· 2 days ago
Jimsaku - Blaze Of Passion (1995) FULL ALBUM HD
JIMSAKU
snobb· 2 days ago
?? Jimsaku - Mega db (FULL ALBUM)
JIMSAKU
snobb· 2 days ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed